There was no England game on November 17th, but a broadcast by English television stations would be watched by countless people. Russia had an away challenge against Israel. The outcome of the game would determine England's eventual fate in its advancement.
If Russia won, then the two teams would have played the same number of games and Russia would lead by one point. England would face Croatia in last round of the group while Russia would face the weakest team, Andorra. From the looks of it, it was certain that Russia would win. In that case, even if England won against Croatia, it would not be able to avoid the misfortune of being knocked out.
Therefore, Russia's away game against Israel would be the focus of all of England.
